August

August is the month of my birthday. And if you preserved those beans like I told you to in December, this is month to make the delicious Bean Cake:

Bean Cake

This is last year’s winning entry sent in by Mrs. Raylene Kyle of Brockville Retirement Home, “Thank you Mrs. Kyle, beautifully tasting, and beautiful aesthetically. Hopefully your arthritis improves in the next year or two. Because if my name is illegible on the cake again you will not win. Let that be a warning Raylene!” – Benny 1/9/2007

Ingredients

1 cup White Sugar

100g butter, melted

1 cup of beans, mashed with a fork

3 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup low fat milk

150 ml plain or fruit yoghurt

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

Bean Icing

25g butter or margarine

4 of 5 grated beans (be sure to retain the bean juice)

2 cups Chelsea Icing Sugar

Green food colouring (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Spray a 20 – 22 cm round spring form baking tin with non stick baking spray. Line the base with baking paper.
Beat the sugar and melted butter and eggs until thick and creamy. Add the mashed beans and beat well.
Heat the milk in a small microwave proof bowl or a glass jug in the microwave until nearly boiling (approximately 1 minute).
Stir the baking soda into the milk and then stir this into the banana mixture. Add the yoghurt, flour and baking powder. Mix well and pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until the cake is cooked in the middle and just pulling away from the edges of the tin. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then release the spring sides and cool completely on a wire rack. When completely cold, ice with either bean icing or creamed bean frosting.

Bean Icing method:
Place the butter, bean juice and rind in a small microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave on high for 30 – 40 seconds until the butter is melted. Beat in the icing sugar to make a fluffy icing. Spread over the cooled cake.

The winner of the best cake will receive our entire back catalogue. This competition will be run annually during the month of August. Any bean cake I receive during August is therefore in the competition. Happy Birthday to me!!